Yan Xiaonan Targets Title Path in Shanghai

Yan Xiaonan is back in Shanghai with a clear objective: turn home advantage into momentum for another run at the strawweight title. The fourth-ranked contender returns after a 16-month layoff to meet Denise Gomes in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song. For Yan, the assignment is more than a comeback bout. It is a chance to defend her place in the division’s top five, show the adjustments she says she has made, and move closer to a second championship opportunity.

Shanghai also gives Yan Xiaonan a meaningful point of connection to her UFC career. Her promotional debut came in the same city in November 2017, when she earned a unanimous decision over Kailin Curran at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Gastelum. Yan recalled entering that fight knowing she had to win and said she attacked hard in pursuit of her first UFC victory. Nine years later, her return to Shanghai comes with far higher stakes, but the setting links her early UFC breakthrough to her current push for the division’s biggest prize.

A Shanghai return with title ambitions

Yan Xiaonan has already experienced the championship level at 115 pounds. She challenged compatriot Zhang Weili for the undisputed strawweight crown at UFC 300 in April 2024, but lost on the scorecards. Her route since then has included a unanimous decision win over Tabatha Ricci followed by a decision loss to Virna Jandiroba at UFC 314. That sequence gives Saturday’s contest a defined role in her campaign: Yan needs a victory over Gomes to maintain her position among the leading contenders.

The return is also an opportunity for Yan Xiaonan to apply a lesson she identified from her most recent defeat. She said the key is not to be hesitant, explaining that she needs to trust herself and avoid waiting too much after being taken down in the last fight. Her remarks do not guarantee how the fight will unfold, but they clarify the adjustment she wants to make as she resumes competition. Yan has framed this as an important moment rather than a routine appearance, with a strong performance potentially carrying as much value as simply getting her hand raised.

Why the Gomes matchup matters

Denise Gomes arrives in Shanghai on a four-fight winning streak, including decision victories over former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz and top-15 fixture Tecia Pennington. Yan Xiaonan said she likes the matchup because she sees similarities in their approach. She described Gomes as young and aggressive, while noting that both fighters like to strike and throw heavy shots. In Yan’s view, that style can make it easier for her to display her own aggression in the striking department. Yan’s larger title case contains another relevant piece of confirmed history. Mackenzie Dern is now champion, and Yan owns a majority decision victory over Dern from their five-round main event at the Meta APEX in October 2022. Yan said she was happy to see Dern win the title, while also recognizing Dern’s improvement since their meeting and saying she has improved as well. The prior win is not a title shot by itself, but it is part of Yan’s stated argument as she tries to return to championship contention.

• Yan Xiaonan’s immediate task is to beat Denise Gomes and protect her position in the strawweight top five.
• Yan Xiaonan said one more win could be needed, although a particularly strong performance in Shanghai could make her next fight a title fight.

Yan Xiaonan’s Shanghai return brings her career full circle, from a first UFC win in the city to a bout with direct implications for her next title push. She has identified the need for urgency, welcomes Gomes’ aggressive style, and believes an impressive result could accelerate her route. First, however, Yan must end the layoff with the win she says is essential to remain at the sharp end of the strawweight division.

Sources: UFC.com